Drill



Filed June 9, 1938 2 sheets sheet 1 R. L. WAXLER April 30, 1940.

DRILL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 9, 1958 Patented Apr. 30, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRILL Reuben L. Waxler, Kilgore, Tex.

- Application June 9, 1938, Serial No. 212,637

This invention relates to a drill.

An object of the invention is to provide a drill of the character described specially designed for drilling earth formation and embodying the combination with a drill head of rotatable cutting, or abrading means, designed to disintegrate hard formation and a blade, or blades; arranged to cooperate with the abrading means and to operate against the bottom of the bore.

Another object of the invention is. to provide a drill of the character described wherein the bladelike cutters, preferably of the fish tail type, may be held yieldingly against the formation at the bottom of the bore.

In one form of the tool the fish tail type of blade may be mounted unyieldingly in the head with its cutting edges at approximately the same plane in which the abrading rolling cutters operate.

In the. operation of the tool the teeth of the rolling cutters will penetrate into the hard formation, such as rock by leaving the surface of theformation at the bottom of the bore in a roughened state and the cuttingedges of the fish tail blade are arranged to follow the rolling cutters and remove the projections or uneven surface invention has particular relation to certain novel features of construction, operation and arrangement of parts, examples of which are given in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein: v

Figure 1 shows a side view of the tool, partly in section.

Figure 2 shows a fragmentary, perspective view.

Figure 3 shows a side elevation taken at right angles to the view shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 shows a'bottom end view.

Figure 5 shows a vertical, sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 6.

Figure 6 shows a cross-sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 shows a vertical, sectional view illustrating another embodiment.

Figure 8 shows a cross-sectional view taken on the line 8 8 of Figure "l, and

Figure 9 shows a side view illustrating still another embodiment.

Referring now more particularly to the draw-,

ings wherein like numerals of reference designate of blade 5 whose upper end is fitted into said slot and whose lower end terminates in oppositely directed, transverse cutting edges 6, 6.

.On opposite sides of the blade 5 the head is formed with the cutter anchors l, 1 which may be formed integrally therewith orwhich may be detachably secured thereto. The lower ends of these anchors have the inside downwardly diverging bearing faces 8, ton which the rolling cutters 9, 9 are mounted in any well known and conventional manner, the surfaces of said rolling cutters being toothed in the well known manner so as to penetrate hard formation at the bottom of the bore as the drill is/rotated. The fish tail blade has an axial slot ill cut therethrough and a transverse pin H has its ends anchored to the head and extends through said slot to permit limited axial movement of the blade relative to the head. In the shank 2 there is a strong coil spring l2 whose upper end abuts the lower end of the drill collar 3 and whose lower end rests against the upper ends of the plungers l3, l3 which work through vertical bearings in the head and whose lower ends rest against the upper end of the blade 5 to hold the blade in its lower position with its cutting edges 6, 6 beneath the rolling cutters 9.

The drill collar 3 and the shank 2 are tubular to permit circulation of the drilling fluid down through the drill stem and the head has suitable water channels l4 through which the drilling fluid may pass to the bottom of the bore.

In operation the tool is lowered into the well and operates against the bottom of the bore while it is rotated. The rolling cutters 9 will disintegrate the hard formation against which they operate and the cutting edges Ii will be held yieldingly against said formation by the spring l2 and will cut away the roughened formation left by the rolling cutters. If the-formation is rock or other very hard material the blade 5 will be permitted to yield so that it will not be so liable to become broken and will normally operate with its edges 6, 6 in about the same working plane as that of the rolling cutters 9. If soft formation is reached the blade Swill be held by the spring with its cutters 6 somewhat in advance of the rolling cutters 9 under which conditions said rolling cutters 9 will be substantially inoperative tom of the bore is concerned.

- The form shown in Figures '1 and a n substantially the same as that shown in Figures 1 tab excepting that the spring Ila is on the outer side of the shank 2a with its upper end resting against an outside shoulder ii on the lower end of the drill collar and with its lower end resting against a relatively thick ring it aroundjthe shank. This ring it rests on the upper ends of the thrust pins l1, l1 which are located in the side grooves it of the head la and with their lower ends anchored to the blade 50.

In the embodiment shown in Figures .1 and 7 the head may be providedwith the vertical, outwardly tapering ribs it, one on each side and the cutters 5, 5a may be provided with the vertical grooves 20 to receive said ribs. These intermeshing parts form side anchoring means to anchor the blade to .the head and yet to permit the vertical movement of the blade relative to the head.

In the form shown in Figure 9 the blade Eb is anchored in fixed relation to' the head lb and consequently the spring l2, or l2a may be dispensed with. In this embodiment the cutting edges 6 are located to operate in approximately the same horizontal plane as the plane of operation of the rolling cutters 9. In other respects the form shown in Figure 9' is substantially the same as that shown in Figure 1.

What I claim is:

l. A drill comprising a head, rotatable abrading means mounted on the forward end of the head, a blade-like cutter mounted on the head between the abrading' means and whose margins have intermeshing, slidable connections with the sides of the head and yieldable means for holding the cutter against the work during the operation of the drill. I

2. A drill comprising a head, rotatable cutters mounted on the forward end of the head, a blade mounted in the head between the rotatable cutters and terminating at its forward end in a cutting edge the sides of the head and the blade being provided, one with vertical grooves and the other with ribs which iit into the grooves and yieldable' means arranged to hold the blade against the work during the operation of the drill.

3. A drillcomprising a head, rotatable cutting means at the forward end of the head, a cutter blade on the head'between the cutting means and terminating at its forward end in cutting edges the blade and head having tenon and mortise connections permitting a sliding movement 0! the blade in the head and yieldable means normally holding the blade in its lower position but permitting said blade to yield upwardly while operating against the formation being drilled.

-4. A drill comprising a headhaving a transverse lower end slot and vertical side ribs, a blade of the fish tail type mounted in said slot, and having grooves to receive the ribs, yieldable means operative against the blade and arranged to permit the blade to yield upwardly during drilling operations and rotatable abrading means mounted on opposite sides of the blade.

5. A drill comprising a head having side ribs, rotatable abrading means and a deb tail cutter mounted at the forward end of the head and adapted to operate against the bottom of a'well bore said cutter having marginal grooves to receive the ribs and means torholding the cutter blade yieldingly against said bottom.

6. A drill comprising a head having a transverselower and "slot and vertical side ribs, av

yield upwardly during drilling operations and rotatable abrading means mounted on opposite sides of the blade.

REUBEN L. waxmrn. a 

